John McAfee Denied Asylum In Guatemala, Will Be Sent Back To Belize For Questioning

Guatemalan authorities have denied anti-virus founder John McAfee's request for asylum and expect him to be flown back to Belize for police questioning there, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

Officials refused to comment about why McAfee's petition had been denied. Belizean police spokesman Raphael Martinez said he expects McAfee to be flown back to the capital, where authorities hope to question him about the fatal shooting of his neighbor, Gregory Viant Faull, which McAfee denies any involvement in.

McAfee crossed over the Guatemalan border from Belize yesterday and was taken into custody by Guatemalan immigration authorities. In custody, McAfee was granted computer access and took to his blog to beg Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina for asylum.

"Please email the President of Guatemala and beg him to allow the court system to proceed, to determine my status in Guatemala, and please support the political asylum that I am asking for," McAfee wrote.

In an interview with the AP last night, McAfee said he was suffering from chest pains and refused to take any Western medicines. He said the gratitude of the Guatemalan people and their understanding of his plight was enough to comfort him.

""Instead of going, 'You're crazy,' they go, 'Yeah, of course they are,'" McAfee said after entering Guatemala. "It's like, finally, I understand people who understand the system here."

McAfee also asked the U.S. Embassy last night to allow him to be returned to the U.S. instead of Belize, but that request was denied.

The software founder has been evading Belizean law enforcement since November. He says authorities plan to kill him because of his knowledge about corruption in the country and his refusal to pay local politicians bribes.

Belizean officials insist McAfee's life is not in danger and they'd only like to speak with him about Faull's death. No charges have been filed against McAfee.

McAfee gained national attention this past month by blogging about his life on the run and his fear of Belizean police. He claims to have used various disguises to evade investigators. He even made reporters use secret codes before they met with him.

Before his escape, McAfee was well-known on a Belizean island for his louche antics, fueling rumors about drug and alcohol abuse and the presence of underage women. He moved to the nation three years ago to lower his taxes.